The invention concerns a device for the handling of bulk material comprising a pressure vessel with at least two members for mechanically enclosing a volume of bulk material, and a conduit connected to the pressure vessel for supplying a pressurized gas thereto for conveying the enclosed material by way of a discharge conduit.
Bulk material can be of different kinds, and the loading and unloading thereof raises many problems. Some materials such as cement and powdered coal are dust emitting, and other types of material will issue odors.
Mechanical as well as pneumatic conveyors have been proposed, and also combination of such means. When big volumes of material must be handled at a certain place, it is possible to errect a permanent plant with high efficiency.
For applications in which smaller quantities are involved, which are collected or delivered at different places, or handling of bulb material is only occasionally required, a proper device has not been available up to now, which at reasonable installing costs has been able to perform the necessary handling service.
A common field of use for such handling devices is marine transportation, where a ship may have to deliver part of its cargo at different ports, which lack proper handling devices. Other applications enclose or plant, which is serviced occasionally by ships lacking unloading means, but having to deliver some bulk material.
German published document DE-B-1 280 158 discloses a transport container for bulk material, having three separate chambers, each with an inlet opening and an outlet conduit and pneumatic means for promoting discharge of bulk material from the container. Apart from these openings, the container is closed to the atmosphere.
The object of the present invention is to propose a handling device, which is cheap to manufacture, which is mobile, and which in an advantageous manner can handle dust material.
For pneumatic transportation it is advantageous to enclose the material in a pressure vessel, from which it may be blown out. Several ways of filling the pressure vessel as a first step in the handling have been proposed, but have not worked satisfactorily.